British Comedy

Seven Questions With… Angela Barnes

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Angela Barnes is a brilliant comedian who takes usually unnoticed everyday situations and effortlessly turns them on their head; she is unique, quick-witted and most importantly: brave. With appearances on Russell Howard’s Good News and, more recently, Mock The Week, Angela has shown an array of strong and diverse material to fit any occasion (maybe not a funeral, but we can’t have it all). Her comedy is relatable, silly, and therefore, absolutely wonderful.
To learn a little more about the person behind the comedy, I asked Angela these seven questions…

1) What inanimate object best describes you?

I think a 4-colour biro best describes me. I always use a 4 colour-biro, so my writing will match my mood.  So, maybe I am a biro with just 4 colours: Red – happy, black – sad, blue – angry, green-mental.

Yep, that about covers it.

2) What is the first thing you notice about new people?

Whether they have a face. Or, at least, I reckon I’d definitely notice if they didn’t, so…

3) Is there a certain subject that you would never write material about?

At the moment, I won’t do any material about my previous working life. That’s mainly because I am a pessimist, and am certain that this comedy lark will almost certainly go tits up, and I will have to go back to doing what I used to do. I’m not going to risk my chances of getting a job by writing gags about it.

4) What’s the most recent thing you’ve done that was really stupid?

I was walking through town the other day, and a homeless gentleman was approaching me. I tried to work out how to get away from him, what excuse to give him for not giving him any money. I avoided eye contact and barged past him, but he followed me. I sped up, so did he, I was feeling uncomfortable. Then he caught up, tapped me on shoulder and said “sorry love, your flies are undone, thought you’d want to know”.  He was just being nice. i gave him a fiver and berated myself for being a self-important twat.

5) Which season of the year is your least favourite?

I think my least favourite season is whichever season I am currently in. I always think I love summer, but then I remember hay fever and sunburn. I burn stupidly easy. I was complaining to my Mum about having to plaster myself in F50, she said  “well you redheads do burn easily don’t you”.  Might surprise you, but this is not my natural hair colour. It is nobody’s natural hair colour. I said, “yes Mum, you’re right, when I got my hair dyed, it was a mistake getting the matching skin graft”.

My hay fever starts in February and lasts til October. My doctor gave me a new nasal spray, it works, but it genuinely smells of flowers. Thanks for that Doc, if I had a peanut allergy, I’d want my lifesaving adrenaline shot to smell of sun pat wouldn’t I?

Then I think I like winter, Christmas lights, mulled wine, woolly tights. Then I remember that being cold sucks, and that in my job, I often have to stand on train platforms at silly times of night in the middle of nowhere. I remember how much I miss light, how much I hate snow, and then winter loses its appeal too.

I used to think I had Seasonal Affective Disorder, but now I think I might just be a miserable arse. Yes that’s it.

6) What animal would you most like to be?

angela barnesI’d most like to be a donkey. There are not many people who don’t like donkeys. Apparently, so many old people leave money to donkey sanctuaries in their wills, that they don’t know how to spend it all. Spend my days grazing on a sweet pasture, with top of the range hay and a pimped up stable, thanks to some spinster who hated her family. That sounds like a good life to me.

Also, donkeys know what’s what. In Animal Farm (not that one, the Orwell), Benjamin the donkey gets what’s going on before any of the other animals.  Eeyore in Winnie The Pooh knows that life is essentially shit, and you have to make the best of it.

I guess I’m just a good old fashioned pessimist. I wouldn’t have it any other way, when you always expect the worst, you can’t be disappointed.

7) What is the best thing that has come out of being a comedian for you?

I’m going to try really hard not to sound wanky here, but no promises.  I wanted to be a comedian for as long as I remember, but I thought it was something that the cool, confident kids did. The realisation that comedy is a perfect creative outlet for those of us that have never felt like we belonged properly was an immense thing.

I can be me, albeit a sometimes exaggerated version of me, and it doesn’t matter that I’m not the prettiest girl, or the thinnest girl, or the coolest girl, people still want to hear what I say (sometimes). And finding that out was the best feeling in the world.

I can’t believe that someone like me is allowed to do this. And get paid for it.

For more information on Angela’s latest shows check out her website, or her Twitter at @AngelaBarnes.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Revisited: S1E5, Scotch Mist

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Episode: Scotch Mist

Air Date: 26 February 2004

Summary: This episode really sums up what Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is about. It is dark and mysterious, but most importantly: radical. A mysterious mist has been looming over Darkplace and claiming various victims who happen to be wondering around outside. Doctor Rick Dagless knows something about the mist: it is, in fact, Scotch Mist. Dag, Liz and Sanchez decide to go outside into the cold to try and find out more about why the Scotch Mist is there, armed with miniature handheld fans to keep the mist away. Meanwhile, someone has given out Thornton Reed’s number as a massage parlour and it is causing him considerable distress…

Scotch Mist

What Else? There is some new music in this episode which is interesting for us to hear but we also receive some life lessons. For example, we learn that you should never buy cheap batteries from a dodgy market stall because your handheld fan won’t work for very long at all. Another lesson we are taught is that you should never be racist (which apparently, not a lot of people know). This is because Rick Dagless has said many racist things about the Scots when he spent the night in Glasgow: he had to learn the hard way.

Quote of the Episode:

Rick Dagless: “I ran. Ran like my life depended on it. Which it did.”

Familiar Faces: Kim Noble is featured a lot in this episode as Doctor Jim as he is one of the first victims of the Scotch Mist.

THE REVISITED SERIES

TV Review: Green Wing

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I know I’m late to the party with this one, with Green Wing having first been broadcast in September 2004 (though you could say I’ve chosen the best time to watch it: on its ten year anniversary).

IMDB describes the show as a “funny hospital-based sketch-comedy-drama type show,” which I think is very accurate, but if I had to describe Green Wing in just one word, I would probably say it is ‘dense’. This is neither a negative nor positive judgement of the show, though I do like it very much. I think my feelings stems from a few core values it holds throughout: firstly, the episodes are physically very long (each around 50 minutes) and there are nine of them in the series. As well as this, however, I think this feeling of density comes from the vast amount of quality acting, writing and directing throughout.

The cast is thriving with young (therefore not so young and very well known now) British comedy talent, including Tamsin Greig, Mark Heap, Stephen Mangan, Michelle Gomez and Olivia Colman (a few of my favourites, though there are more than ten big roles). I admire the cast of this programme because they aren’t afraid to look foolish: the writers make it clear that this is not a serious drama from the offset by scripting in surreal situations along with extremely childish behaviour.

green wing

There is a great deal of slapstick comedy with an almost Mr Bean-like quality to add to the entirely strange experience of watching Green Wing. The use of camera and soundtrack will often accentuate this in cases where everything will speed up at times and then slow right down to less-than-natural levels.

A stand-out performance for me would have to be that of Michelle Gomez, who plays Sue White, an actress who recently appeared in a recent episode of Doctor Who: Deep Breath and is also recognised as Bad Education‘s Isobel Pickwell. She captures the insanity of Green Wing effortlessly with her deadpan delivery of lines like: “I could put a spell on you” in the middle of a mature conversation.

Although Gomez is a particular favourite of mine, it would be impossible to pick an overall ‘best’ performance because they are all incredible and devoted actors. The insanity of Pippa Haywood and Tamsin Greig’s characters teamed with the typical almost-character-tropes of Stephen Mangan, Olivia Colman and Karl Theobald’s roles makes for truly excellent viewing.

This is obviously a show for every comedy-lover out there and I regret being so late to the party.

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Revisited: S1E4, The Apes Of Wrath

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Episode: The Apes of Wrath

Air Date: 19 February 2004

Summary: There is something mysterious in the water at Darkplace yet nobody has realised it yet. Despite the fact that Sanchez transformed into a horrific ape-man within seconds of having a sip of his drink. Despite the second fact that eventually everyone in the hospital is infected except the only two who prefer to drink coffee: Rick Dagless and Thornton Reed. Finally Dagless discovers what is causing people to change and pays a visit to the water store room, and is surprised by what he finds there…

The Apes of Wrath

What Else? In this episode we get insight into Dagless’ presence in the hospital, and let’s just say, you can definitely tell that Garth Marenghi wrote the episodes because everyone on the ward seems to think Dagless is the best doctor that ever walked the Earth. The fact that nobody could work out what was causing the ape transformations highlights the stupidity of the characters at Darkplace, and makes the experience all the more hilarious for the audience. The secret also comes out that since filming Darkplace, Madeleine Wool, who plays Liz Asher, has disappeared and is presumed dead.

Quote of the Episode:

Lucien Sanchez: “Not my fault, monkey bastard hands.”

Familiar Faces: Julian Barratt returns as the (slightly evil) priest and we see Noel Fielding as a criminal ape.

THE REVISITED SERIES

TV Review: Siblings

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It’s always a great feeling to discover a new Sitcom on a popular television channel that surprises you with its innovation and originality. Siblings is one of those programmes for me.

This show follows the lives of sibling housemates Hannah (Charlotte Ritchie) and Dan (Tom Stourton) as they go about their days attempting to do as little work as possible and spend their time having a good time instead. Hannah has a regular office job where her manager is a ‘functioning alcoholic’ which means it is incredibly easy for her to escape responsibility on a daily basis, and generally spend less than five hours at work each day. Dan, on the other hand, spends all his time at home being bored out of his dim-witted brain. This results in him doing the most moronic things yet somehow avoiding the consequences (due to luck, rather than skill), a rather over-used concept but approached in an entirely new way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soMOeO_7Mdk

This is a Sitcom set in an entirely normal environment, yet what makes Siblings so insane is the characters within it. It’s a familiar habit of mine to allow my brain to tick over and get distracted while watching these kind of programmes but this one is an exception because of the wacky dialogue and actions of the brother and sister duo. As well as making many stupid decisions throughout, Hannah, in particular, is actually quite a horrible person (though I love her, but maybe that says a more about me than it says about anything else). For example, in order to make a good impression on her new boss in Episode One, Hannah makes it her duty to prove that the other office workers are not a patch on herself. Whilst in conversation with her new boss, Annette (Tracy Ann Oberman), and co-worker, Kevin, she suggests rather loudly:

“Kevin, what was that thing you were saying the other week about how gay people shouldn’t be allowed to live by the seaside?”

Siblings is a true breath of comedy-fresh-air and I look forward to watching the rest of the series over the coming weeks. You can catch up with the episodes so far on BBC iPlayer and watch Episode Three on BBC 3 at 10.30pm tonight.

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Revisited: S1E3, Skipper The Eyechild

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Episode: S1E3, Skipper The Eyechild

Air Date: 12 February 2004

Summary: This episode is allegedly based on a true story. A giant eye impregnates one of the patients at Darkplace which results in the birth of a mutant eye-child. Rick Dagless MD has emotional wounds regarding his dead son, Skipper, (who was born half grasshopper) which leads him to steal the baby eye and hide him from everyone at the hospital. He also calls the new child Skipper in hope of filling the hole in his life that was left by his son when he died. Unfortunately, Rick is eventually backed into a corner and this results in him being bitten on the hand by the mutant eye and he panics…

skipper

What Else? This instalment of Darkplace is, yet again, packed full with top-of-the-range special effects. There are some authentic-looking wires to hold a helicopter in the sky and very realistic makeup, such as fake blood (it definitely doesn’t look like Ketchup at all). We get insight into Sanchez and Dagless’ special handshake and also see how it only takes mere seconds for Liz to ruin her makeup with tears after an insult, which isn’t particularly convenient for the busy woman.

Quote of the Episode:

Dean Learner: “I haven’t acted since. Some would say I didn’t act during, but er, those would be unkind people. I did my best.”

Familiar Faces: Graham Linehan as a hospital security guard.

THE REVISITED SERIES

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Revisited: S1E2, Hell Hath Fury

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Episode: S1E2, Hell Hath Fury

Air Date: 5 February 2004

Summary: This episode begins with a problem: the chef at Darkplace is too slow and the chicken is late. This has made all the staff waiting in line very impatient and annoyed, which results in multiple people being incredibly rude to poor Doctor Liz, and she doesn’t appreciate that at all. Within seconds, the chef has been mysteriously attacked and nobody can work out who did it: Rick Dagless M.D- “We’ve asked everyone in the hospital if they’re the mystery attacker, and they’ve all said no”. After many many hours, and various new attacks, Thornton Reed finally works out that the attacker is Liz, and she’s developed dangerous telekinetic powers.

What Else? This episode is about “love, loyalty and sacrifice”, which is definitely, and hilariously, not really that significant to the episode, and in places where it is, it is brief and lighthearted. A hilarious aspect of this episode is the terrible camera skills, where many characters only have the top half their face on screen at some points. We see many wonderful special effects: Dean Learner: “An eagle eyed viewer might be able to see the wires… if you go to a Punch and Judy show and look at the wires, you’re a freak!”

Quote of the Episode:

Rick Dagless: “I ran the only way I knew how, by placing one leg in front of the other in quick succession.”

Familiar Faces: Stephen Merchant as the chef (“you son of bitch”).

THE REVISITED SERIES

Gus The Fox Scrap Book

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A few months ago, Rachel Van Zyl and Alecia Steele from Noel’s Fieldmice sent me a copy of the Gus The Fox Scrap Book, the debut book from the Twitter sensation (you guessed it) Gus The Fox.

The foul-mouthed pest gained a lot of his following from his beautiful Twitter-relationship with Noel Fielding who regularly retweets his material. This is how I found the hilarious character. To show his appreciation of Gus’ work, Noel wrote the foreword to the book which is as insane as could be expected from the comedian. A couple of Gus’ tweets are posted below, and I intentionally picked ones with no swearing, though I actually find these funnier anyway. I’d encourage you to follow him if you want to have your feed broken up by a little bit of madness every now and then.

Screen Shot 2014-07-30 at 12.30.41 Screen Shot 2014-07-30 at 12.30.43

Gus’ book is refreshingly horrible, with frequent celebrity references and surreal anecdotes. The layout is original, well thought out and varied which makes it easy reading and a piece of art in itself, despite the horrific subject matter. In fact, in places, the content actually made me feel quite sad: amongst the laughs, this book is actually very depressing; Gus The Fox doesn’t have the best life.

This book clearly took a great deal of work from writer Matt Haydock and artist Nick Reyniers, and I fully recommend you purchase the book for yourselves. Again, thanks to the girls at Noel’s Fieldmice for sending me my own copy!

Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Revisited: S1E1, Once Upon A Beginning

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Episode: S1E1, Once Upon A Beginning

Air Date: 29 January 2004

Summary: Rick Dagless M.D. is reminiscing about his old friend Larry, with whom Dagless accidentally opened the gates to Hell many years ago. There is something wrong at Darkplace Hospital, Dagless can feel it. Plus, new doctor Liz Asher (“You’re a woman,” “Yes, I hope that’s not going to be a problem.”) has had a psychic vision and it becomes apparent that Larry Renwick is at the hospital once more, as a patient. And when Larry explodes, everything gets a little bit worse…

What Else? It’s hard to express how hilarious this episode is in words because the true skill is in the performance. The combination of the deliberately terrible acting and pathetically poor props (such as fake cars) makes for very funny viewing. There is frequent use of extreme gore that is not for the faint-hearted but is obviously not real, along with absolutely ridiculous plot devices, such as an exploded man being buried with his body intact and a controversial amount of sexism (yet again, not designed to be taken seriously).

Quote of the Episode:

Thornton Reed: “If that’s how you treat your friends, imagine how you treat your enemies! Worse, I expect!”

Familiar Faces: Julian Barratt plays the very Howard Moon-like priest and Kim Noble appears as doctor Jim.

THE REVISITED SERIES

TV Review: Friday Night Dinner

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Friday Night Dinner is a fast-paced and brilliantly written sitcom about the slightly dysfunctional and entirely deranged Goodman family. Although the brand new series three has recently been shown on television (Channel 4), I have been catching up on all of the previous series as well as this one, with each being equally as strong as the last.

The format is relatively simple: it follows the family every week, where the boys visit their parents for Friday night dinner. The true skill here is evident in the excellent script writing (the programme is written and produced by the insanely talented Robert Popper) for the conversations are utterly insane but have been injected with a surprising amount of wit. The characters in the programme are consistently getting themselves into terrible situations, often involving difficult grandparents, girlfriends and troublesome neighbours.

Friday Night Dinner is one of the rare television programmes that has a solid cast through and through, with the four recurring characters consisting of two grown-up sons, Jonny and Adam (played by Tom Rosenthal and Simon Bird respectively) and unlikely married couple: Martin and Jackie (Paul Ritter and Tamsin Greig). As well as this, the fantastically talented Mark Heap plays the family’s sinister neighbour: Jim Bell, a character that has had me crying with laughter on multiple occasions.

My favourite character would have to be Jim. With his seemingly irrational fear of his Belgian Shepard, Wilson, and obvious lack of social skills teamed up with the fact he clearly fancies Jackie, every encounter with this tricky neighbour is absolutely hilarious. Mark Heap is a very talented comedic actor and this is made apparent through his uncanny ability to generate a laugh from the viewer purely from a facial expression or body stance. Heap has been given the role of a very typical comedy trope but has managed to make it his own, whilst demonstrating originality and skill.

It is hard to single out any other stand out actors in this programme because they are all undeniably outstanding, with Simon Bird and Tom Rosenthal effortlessly filling the role of annoying, immature, and yet somehow loveable young men and Tamsin Greig and Paul Ritter adding an interesting twist to their parenting personas. The character of Martin (Ritter) triggers many of the biggest laughs in each episode with his absurd catchphrase: “Shit on it!” and generally stupid and disgusting antics whereas Jackie (Greig) has expertly mastered the art of suggesting her emotions through her facial expressions, which has amusing consequences.

Friday Night Dinner deals with multiple recurring jokes that the viewer can never tire of, such as the way Jim always gets confused between Adam and Jonny:

Jonny: “Jim have you seen Adam?”

Jim: “I thought you were Adam?”

Jim is also ignorant regarding the family’s Jewish heritage, but not necessarily Jewish faith. He often tries to join in on their ‘Jewish traditions’ such as fashioning himself a “Jewish hat” and presenting them with a Schmoigle which is an offering of a basket of fruit.

This is easily one of my favourite sitcoms of all time and I hope there are many more series to come. You can catch up on all previous episodes from the past three series on 4OD.

I will leave you with the words of Jim: “Thank you all for the lovely evening. Well, except for everything that happened.”